The reason he’s playing center field is because when we did the fan voting and the player voting, we uh, Hart, had the, he was ahead of the outfielders, he has to start, he was supposed to start the game, and Ethier’s the one I chose to play center field because I remember he played there a lot. We do not have what they call a true center fielder right now. We have some our roster, at the same time that was the reason why he started in center field.
-- N.L. All-Star Manager Charlie Manuel explaining why Andre Ethier -- who hasn’t really ever played center field -- is the starting centerfielder for the N.L. All-Star team tomorrow night. Easy for him to say.
Regular readers know that I often make up fanciful Charlie Manuel quotes that have him talking like some mid-century wise guy. I read through the above quote five times in an effort to make up some more Cholly-isms, but decided that this stood on its own just swell.
